


Pen Flipper Extraordinaire

by kuppatan



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: CEO Tim (thanks he hates it), Gen, also featuring, lex back on his bullshit, sebastian ives's very good advice, tim trying to remember whether bruce is alive or not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuppatan/pseuds/kuppatan
Summary: Being a business owner is every bit as boring as he thought it was going to be when he was deadset on not being in charge of Drake Industries. As the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Tim does pen tricks while Lex tries to sell him water filters.





	Pen Flipper Extraordinaire

Tim flips a pen between his fingers. He learned it as a trick from Ives to quote, “Impress the ladies, Tim.” He never got around to actually showing Steph (their dating was comprised heavily of fighting against hordes of grunts who were not going to stop attacking because he had a cool pen trick to show his girlfriend). Considering Tam was still ultra pissed at him for faking her dad’s death, he didn’t have anyone to show it to. Showing it off to Steph would be pretty lame now, but Cass might get a laugh out of it...

“Mr. Wayne,” Lex Luthor intones, “if you’d deign to pay attention to the dealing concerning millions of dollars.”

“I am, Mr. Luthor,” he smiles the fakest smile he’d ever smiled. It was a shame his pen trick was wasted on this stale boring meeting with a stale boring man.

Luthor sniffs like his teacher Mr. Owens who always assumed he wasn’t listening and he didn’t understand what he was doing. Mr. Owens was overbearing and self righteous man; Tim listened enough and he understood enough to get an A in the class despite the U for Unsatisfactory on his report card. Eat your heart out, Mr. Owens. Look at him, now; he was an unhappy seventeen year old dropout at a confidential meeting with the only person in the world who hates Superman’s guts. A meeting he only half understands because Bruce didn’t teach him how to be a CEO for all the training he jammed into 6 months. It is a small mercy he fully understands all the blatant attempts at manipulation from Luthor because you didn’t become a Bat without being soaked in manipulation, intentional or not.

“Timothy,” Luthor said, as if he was repeating himself.

“Yes, Alexander, I heard you the first time.” He didn’t, but Luthor could stuff it. “I thought you might be following up with a point of some kind.”

Luthor purses his lips. “Yes, of course,” he says with palpable hate. “It would be a revolution in water filtration; something that Gotham desperately needs in the wake of all the hoodlums attacking her. Gases and toxins of all sort poisoning children and loved ones.”

Ha, like the poisons are going to do anything to anybody. Local Gothamites are practically immune at this point. Anyways, Waynetech already had a filtration system. Of course, Luthor lives in Metropolis. As a rule, Metropolitans knew zero things about Gotham.

“It’s impressive technology,” Tim says because he could admit it is good tech and he is a sociable host. “The bluetooth release of purification chemicals is amazing, really. Everything’s got to be connected to the Internet these days. Otherwise, how would we function as a society. We’ll buy it.”

Luthor’s eyes sharpen. “If you were listening, Tim-”

Tim arches an eyebrow so hard that it might go flying off of his face. What was it with supervillains and his first name. There are boundaries.

“-Mr. Wayne,” Luthor continues wisely, “you would know this product is not for sale. It is merely Lexcorp’s magnanimous offer to Wayne Tech to distribute and install this, as you said, impressive technology throughout this needy city.”

Yeah, sure, he was going to allow Luthor Corps to install anything in Gotham, especially a water filter paired with timed substance release using wireless controls. Tim’s ninety-nine percent sure this is a deal Wayne Tech has already refused and Luthor is trying to push it forward through the weak link, him. (Tim is offended. Look, he hasn’t taken any business classes but he’s heard enough plans about poisoning cities to know how they work.)

“The city will be incredibly thankful for your contribution; an invaluable image booster for a young, up and coming CEO as yourself.” Ha, young. He looked in the mirror this morning and he had a gray hair. Soon, he’ll be rocking the Jason Todd look. “In addition, it would be a wonderful bridge between our megacorporations.”

“A step,” Luthor says, “your father never took.”

 

The pen clatters to the table as Tim’s open grin becomes two upturned lips pressing together. Recovering, he snatches the pen back from the table in a too tight fist. He teeters the pen at a slower pace across his knuckles.

“Yeah, well, you know Wayne Senior,” Tim chuckles. “Business wasn’t-” Should that be isn’t? Bruce is alive, after all.“-isn’t his preferred sport.”

“He likes polo.” He’s never actually seen Bruce play polo but it’s Brucie’s go to hobby. A stereotypical hobby for the Gotham elite. It wasn’t really his dad’s thing, though. He was more of a football man. Not that it was relevant to the very important conversation he was having about the fate of Gotham’s water supply. Get your head in the game, Drake. Tim exhales through his nose and gets the rhythm back in his pen flipping. “Anyhow, I know he wasn’t much of a step taker in the business world.”

“An understatement,” Luthor says with a rueful smile. “Will you be different?”

Tim cobbles together businessman-ese in his head. “Although your offer is incredibly generous, you do understand my hesitance in letting a… strong company, like your own, control infrastructure like water filtration. This is a Wayne city.”

Luthor gives Tim a onceover with a raise of his eyebrows. He snorts and inclines his head. Of course, it would be territoriality that garnered him respect from this guy. The scrutiny reminds him uncomfortably of Ra’s. “It is understandable. What if we do a test run on a portion of Gotham?”

“Hmmmm,” Tim says, “we here at Wayne Enterprises, at Gotham, would be grateful to have your technology. You are correct; the quality of water here is less than pristine.”

Luthor’s eyes glimmer. 

“However, as they say, give a man a fish, feed him for a day, but teach a man how to fish and he will never be hungry again.” Luthor’s smile dropped considerably. “Would you be amicable to collaborating with Waynetech in developing this project before implementing it? We can offer considerable funding and an extensive infrastructure R&D. We know Gotham.” Either Luthor backs off or he lets Tim in on his little ‘poison all Gothamites’ project.

Luthor’s eyes, which apparently are the windows to his soul or the mood ring to his heart because they broadcast his every emotion, turn cold and his nose wrinkles in distaste. The silence extends broken only by the faint sound of his pen moving across his hand. 

“Unfortunately, Mr. Wayne, our labs and our technology are notoriously private. I’m afraid Lexcorp refuses and given your trepidation at this moment, has removed the offer for your convenience.” Awww, Luthor doesn’t like to share. The ‘at this moment’ was suspicious. Tim bets a hundred bucks that a mysterious poison finds itself in Gotham pipelines next month.

“Thank you for arranging this meeting, Mr. Luthor. It was a pleasure seeing you again.” It really wasn’t. Tim couldn’t even tell Kon about this meeting without violating a thousand NDA’s. Luthor’s nostrils recoil in defense as Tim puts down his pen and extends his hand. Apparently, he is allergic to niceties, even to fellow CEOs. Given that he hates Superman and the thing Conner has said about him curing his sister of a chronic disease and then making her sick again, Tim is not surprised.

After Luthor gets over himself and smoothes his face into condescending placidity, they have a nice, firm business handshake. Luthor’s hand is average for a civilian: a few light calluses, warm, and dry. It’s funny for how for all the limitations humanity has, the terrible person capacity doesn’t seem to have a cap; he tucks his sardonic smirk at the thought into a cordial smile.

“Have a nice afternoon, Mr. Luthor.”

“You as well, Wayne,” Luthor replies because he has to get the last word.

Mercy, ever the silent bodyguard, walks Luthor out. Tim watches Luthor get into his car and be chauffeured off back to Metropolis through the clear glass of the skyscraper wall. He collapses into his spinny, cushioned CEO chair and sighs. Business sucks.

**Author's Note:**

> The Lex Poisoning His Sister event refers to Adventure Comics Vol 2 Issue 6. 
> 
> The water filter poisoning plan refers to the plot of some DC media I don't remember.
> 
> Tim not wanting to be in charge of Drake Industries in the summary refers to Batman Vol 1 Issue 480.


End file.
